ADB commits $110m for four water schemes

With completion of projects, additional 52 million gallons of water will be provided to garrison city

RAWALPINDI:

The Asian Development Bank has approved a grant of $110 million under the Punjab Intermediate Improvement Cities Project (PESP) for four projects pertaining to long-term water supply in Rawalpindi city and its six adjacent densely populated union councils.

Experts from the Punjab government and the ADB approved the said grant under Phase II. The project will be completed under the supervision of the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) and PESP. With the completion of the projects, an additional 52 million gallons of water per day will be provided to Rawalpindi city and six adjoining union councils.

The ADB has already approved grants for water supply projects in Sialkot and Sahiwal under Phase-I of the project.

With the approval of a $110 million grant by the ADB, the Chahan Dam water supply project meant to supply six million gallons of water per day will now be able to supply 12 million gallons of water per day, which will be supplied to six union councils including Lakhan, Garja 1, Garja 2, Chak Jalal Din, Mohri Ghazan, and Dhamiyal.

Under the second project, a new line will be laid for an additional six million gallons of water per day from the Rawal Dam Treatment Plant to Rawalpindi, after which the daily supply of water from the Rawal Dam to the garrison city will increase to 28 million gallons and WASA will not have to operate its own 80 to 90 tube wells which will save energy.

Under the third project, to supply water to the Khayaban-e-Sir Syed area for 24 hours without any interruption, a water loop will be created in Khayaban-e-Sir Syed and the water coming from the Rawal Dam, apart from the existing tube wells, will be allocated through a mechanism for all the sectors of Khayaban-e-Sir Syed through which the 24/7 water supply will be ensured.

Under the fourth project, the study of the Dadocha Dam and later the project of supplying 35 million gallons of water per day will be completed.

According to water supply experts, the planning done by the ADB with this critical grant will end the serious situation of water supply in the adjacent six union councils of Rawalpindi city.

However, at present Rawalpindi Development Authority and Municipal Corporation do not obtain NOC from WASA for the commercialisation of residential buildings or plots due to which on one hand the water supply network in Rawalpindi is suffering from overburden and on the other hand, the regular share of WASA is not being paid from the commercialisation fee received from these institutions.

In wake of the increasing demand for water due to the commercialisation of large-scale plots and residential buildings and lack of proper planning, the water supply network of WASA is being overburdened and the ever-increasing gap between water demand and supply and non-availability of the water supply is creating a difficult situation for the citizens.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2023.